HEARING

The hearing lasted nearly 3 hours with at least 7 people speaking in favor
of the bill and at least 6 opposed. The committee members gave the same
attention to both sides (as usual), so it was difficult to tell if they
leaned one way or the other. A few of them asked questions that showed they
might be thinking of alternatives, but it was really hard to tell how
serious they were.

The proponents had a slick video projected from a laptop onto two big
screens, one facing the committee and one facing the audience. Kellie did
her usual spiel peppered with lies about the participation of breeders in
drafting bill language and using a picture of a large Amish farmhouse to
illustrate her contention that commercial breeders make enough money
selling puppies that they can afford big houses so they shouldn't quibble
about spending money to bring their kennels up to the standards in the
bill. Never mind that the Amish have large families living together or that
they take pride in their homes. A woman who identified herself as a tax
expert told the committee that she did a chart about the loss of revenue
from commercial breeders who take only cash to avoid paying taxes, but she
based her work on the assumption that there are 9000 commercial kennels in
Ohio. In answer to a question from a committee member, she stated that the
vast majority of commercial breeders are tax cheats.

Other proponents included a couple of women who do rescue, a dog warden
involved in a substandard kennel case, a humane agent from Perry County who
has testified before, and Bob Baker, a roving kennel 'investigator' who now
works for ASPCA but has also worked for HSUS and an anti-farm animal rights
group.

Opponents were OVDO, the Ohio Association of Animal Owners, the Ohio
Professional Dog Breeders Assoc., the dog wardnes assoc., collie breeder
Marcy Fine, and AKC judge and Cavalier breeder Meredith Johnson Snyder.

Next hearing will probably be in two weeks.